Local
Portland School Board Members Push for Independent Investigation into Disappearing Messages
Two Portland Public Schools board members want an outside lawyer to investigate district employees' use of Signal, a messaging app that automatically deletes messages, amid concerns about public records violations. The board will hold a special meeting Friday to discuss the proposal.
Two Portland Public Schools board members are calling for an independent investigation into the district's use of Signal, a messaging app that allows messages to disappear, citing concerns that communications may have violated public records law.
Directors Virginia La Forte and Stephanie Engelsman introduced an alternative resolution Thursday that would hand the entire investigation to outside legal counsel, with a fact-finding report due by December 11. The school board will meet in a special session Friday at noon to discuss the issue.
The original resolution under consideration would have authorized the district's internal lawyer to work with outside counsel to determine the extent of Signal use among employees and whether it violated district policies or state public records law. The La Forte-Engelsman proposal goes further, tasking independent counsel with determining whether PPS employees, including Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong, used or authorized the platform, whether any communications constitute public records, and whether they can be recovered.
Their version would also establish a confidential channel for current and former employees and others with relevant information to voluntarily provide documents or tips.
The controversy erupted after the Portland Federation of School Professionals released a screenshot of a Signal exchange between Deborah Kafoury, outgoing Chief of Staff to Armstrong, and Sarah Norman, an employee of Procedeo, the firm overseeing modernization of three high schools. The exchange, photographed surreptitiously during a recent school board meeting, included a disparaging remark about Engelsman. It was first reported by local blogger Max Steele.
Kafoury subsequently announced she would resign at the start of 2027, telling The Oregonian/OregonLive that she had long planned her departure but moved up the date. Willamette Week later reported viewing messages between Armstrong and other district leaders that allegedly also used the app.
According to guidance from the Oregon Secretary of State's Office, information sent via text messages, emails, and messaging apps is a public record if it is "unique" and "relates to agency business," regardless of where it is stored. Public employees are directed to "only use approved software and systems when creating public records."
The Friday meeting comes as the district faces broader scrutiny over transparency and accountability. The use of disappearing messages has raised questions about whether officials sought to evade public records requirements, a concern that resonates with community members who have demanded greater openness from district leadership.